maNavALa mAmunigaL identifies that our SrIvaishNava sampradhAyam is emperumAnAr (rAmAnuja) dharisanam as declared by namperumAL (SrIranganAthan). Together we can explore the depths of this glorious sampradhAyam in this blog site. This website is a humble samarpaNai at mAmunigaL's ponnadi (his thiruvadi [lotus feet] is called ponnadiyAm sengamalam - representing ponnadikkAl jIyar - 1st pontiff of vAnamAmalai/thOthAdhri mutt).

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Note: srI U. vE.
gOpAlakrishNa dhAsar (kOnAr) who was living in chennai and a sishya of
kOil kandhAdai vAdhUla aNNan swamy compiled a set of beautiful
phrases/sentences from nampiLLai's eedu (documented by vadakku thiruvIdhi piLLai) vyAkyAnam long ago. kOil vidhwAn srI U. vE. R
narasimhAchAryar swamy (paramapadhavAsi) wrote simple thamizh meanings
for those phrases/sentences. This book (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByVemcKfGLucbWJNTUMzVS1KTzA/edit?usp=sharing) was originally released on 7-1-68 and
was re-published by puthur raghurAman swamy (editior: srI sailEsa
dhayApAthram magazine). In this series we are relishing this great compilation with the english translation for the same.

sEshi - master/primary, sEsha vasthu - servitor/secondary. emperumAn is the supreme master and jIvAthmA is the eternal servitor. The natural activity of jIvAthmA is to glorify emperumAn.

emperumAnAr who is an incarnation of Adhi sEshan - most ideal servitor of srIman nArAyaNan

Translator's note: emperumAnAr explains the sEsha/sEshi relationship in vEdhArtha sangraham beautifully. He says "paragatha athisaya AdhAna ichchayA upAdhEyathvam Eva yasya svarUpam sa sEsha:, para: sEshi" (பரகத அதிஸய ஆதாந இச்சயா உபாதேயத்வம் ஏவ யஸ்ய ஸ்வரூபம் ஸ சேஷ:, பர: சேஷி) - That which fully depends on something, which is fully focussed on the joy and glorification of the other entity is called sEsha and the other entity is called sEshi.piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights the same principle in mumukshuppadi sUthram 177. Let us see that with mAmunigaL's beautiful commentary.sEshikku adhisayaththai viLaikkai sEshabUthanukku svarUpalAbamum prApyamum.சேஷிக்கு அதிசயத்தை விளைக்கை சேஷபூதனுக்கு ஸ்வரூபலாபமும் ப்ராப்யமும். To bring about glories to the master will establish the true nature of the servant and is also the ultimate goal for the servant.When the acts of the servant does not bring about happiness to the master, there is no true servitue. So, to establish ones own identity as a servant and to bring about happiness to the master, the servant should engage in service that brings about more glories to the master.

jIvAthmAs in samsAram (material world) desire to reach paramapadham (spiritual world) to enjoy bhagavAn's supremacy. The residents of paramapadham descend to samsAram to enjoy the simplicity/magnanimity of bhagavAn.

Translator's note: bhagavAn fully manifests his supremacy in paramapadham. As every one in paramapadham (nithyas and mukthas) are fully realized, they accept emperumAn's supremacy always. When he descends to this world, many people oppose him and does not accept his supremacy. kaNNan emperumAn himself condemns such person who dont accept his supremacy in bhagavath gIthai. So, the mumukshus (ones who are desiring for mOksham) want to reach paramapadham and enjoy bhagavAn's supremacy there.

bhagavAn's sauseelyam and saulabhyam are fully manifested in this world. In ozhivil kAlam padhikam, nammAzhwAr longs to serve emperumAn. emperumAn at once says "AzhwAr, even nithyasUris come down here to enjoy my sauseelyam (magnanimity). So why dont you come and serve me here?". nammAzwAr understands that and fully glorifies thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn and performs vAchika kainkaryam (service through words) to thiruvEnkatamudaiyAn.

jIvAthmA is uniquely identified by its gyAnam (knowledge) and Anandham (bliss). Yet, those attributes does not highlight the true nature of jIvAthmA. sEshathvam (being a servitor of bhagavAn) is that which highlights the true nature of jIvAthmA. sEshathvam is more important than gyAnam and Anandham.

Translator's note: It is generally said that jIvAthmA is identified distinctly by his gyAnam and Anandham. But more than that jIvAthmA is uniquely identified by his servitude towards bhagavAn.

In thiruvAimozhi 8.8 kaNgaL sivanthu padhigam, emperumAn reveals the true nature of himself in the first 2.5 pAsurams. In the remaining 7.5 pAsurams, he reveals the true nature of the jIvAthmA. In the second pAsuram, nammAzhwAr says "adiyEn uLLAn udal uLLAn" (அடியேன் உள்ளான் உடல் உள்ளான்) - which means bhagavAn is within the soul and the body. To identify the soul, AzhwAr uses the term adiyEn - which means dhAsan (servitor) instead of "me". A beautiful incident is narrated by nampiLLai in the eedu vyAkyAnam for this pAsuram. When emperumAnAr is explaining the nature of jIvAthmA to his sishyas, a question arises about the true nature of jIvAthmA. emperumAnAr desires to establish the truth through the words of thirukkOshtiyUr nambi (one of his own AchAryas) and thus asks AzhwAn to go and enquire the true nature of jIvAthmA from thirukkOshtiyUr nambi. AzhwAn goes to thirukkOshtiyUr and serves nambi patiently. Finally after 6 months, nambi enquires AzhwAn the purpose of his visit. AzhwAn explains the question and nambi at once says "AzhwAr says 'adiyEn uLLAn'" and AzhwAn immediately understands the meaning and returns to emperumAnAr to share the same with him and the gOshti. so adiyEn (being a servitor) is the primary identity of a jIvAthmA.piLLai lOkAchAryar also establishes that sEshathvam is the distinguishing factor for the jIvAthmA and is the true nature of the jIvAthmA in his mumukshuppadi thirumanthra prakaraNam in a series of sUthrams. mAmunigaL quotes many pramANams from sAsthram such as "Athma dhAsyam harEs svAmyam svabhAvam cha sadhAsmara" (ஆத்ம தாஸ்யம் ஹரேஸ் ஸ்வாம்யம் ஸ்வபாவம் ச ஸதாஸ்மர), etc.

For a jIvAthmA, more than bhagavAn's svarUpam, bhagavAn's divine auspicious forms are enjoyable. Similarly, for bhagavAn, more than nammAzhwAr's (the jIvAthmA) true nature, nammAzhwAr's divine form is the object of enjoyment, even though AzhwAr himself wants to give up his body and reach paramapadham. As a presumptuous (prideful) person would enjoy the dirt/sweat of his/her lovable companion, emperumAn/jIvAthmA enjoy the body (divine form) of each other.Translator's note: Our pUrvAchAryas have had great attachment towards emperumAn's divine and auspicious forms. They have given greater importance to the divine forms of emperumAn over the true nature of emperumAn. nammAzhwAr identifies that emperumAn is saguNa brahmam in the first pAsuram itself.

Similarly, emperumAn also likes the divine/auspicious form of nammAzhwAr (and other AzhwArs). This is why, towards the end of thiruvAimozhi, in 10.7 "chenjoR kavigAL" (செஞ்சொற் கவிகாள்) padhigam, nammAzhwAr insists that thirumAlirunchOlai emperumAn should give up his attachment towards AzhwAr's divine form since it is to be given up in this material world itself - but emperumAn does not want to leave that divine form of AzhwAr behind - instead he wants to bring AzhwAr with his body as is to paramapadham.

This principle is beautifully explained in srIrAmAyaNam and brilliantly explained by our piLLai lOkAchAryar and mAmunigaL in srIvachanabhUshaNa dhivya sAsthram sUthram 166.

'snAnam rOsha janakam' engiRa vArththaiyai smarippathu.

'ஸ்நாநம் ரோஷ ஜநகம்' என்கிற வார்த்தையை ஸ்மரிப்பது.

After srI rAma's victory over rAvaNa, he wanted to see sIthA pirAtti as she was - he wanted to behold the vision of pirAtti being covered with dirt, etc. But vibhIshaNa, who brought pirAtti over to srI rAma, insisted to pirAtti that she bathes and cleanses herself (without understanding the desire of emperumAn). When pirAtti bathed/cleansed and arrived to meet with srI rAma, srI rAma became visibly upset since his desire went un-fulfilled. Actually this incident is complicated to explain but mAmunigaL beautifully explains the different questions that arise in this case. Let us see that to understand the brilliance of mAmunigaL.

At first, srI rAma himself instructs vibhIshaNAzhwAn to bring sIthA pirAtti after getting her bathed and cleansed - but he says that just to say auspicious words (instead of saying bring her in the dirt covered form).

vibhIshaNAzhwAn does not understand emperumAn's desire and so he goes to pirAtti and insists her to bathe and clean herself.

pirAtti at first refuses but gives up due to vibhIshaNAzhwAn insisting her. But here mAmunigaL identifies that even though pirAtti understands srI rAma's desire, she disregards that.

Really, srI rAma wanted to see her as she was - but that did not happen. This is why he became angry that his desire was not fulfilled. So his anger is justified.

jIvAthmA and paramAthmA are different from each other. Each jIvAthmA is different from one another. emperumAn is the master and AthmA is the servant. This is the essential principle.Translator's note: There are certain essential principles to be understood. These essential principles include:

paramAthmA and jIvAthmA are distinct entities - they are not the same.

there are innumerable jIvAthmAs and each one is distinct (while they all have a common nature)

all jIvAthmAs are eternally subservient to paramAthmA. The purpose of jIvAthmAs existence is to please emperumAn who is their master.

kaNNan emperumAn engages arjunan in a divine conversation amidst the battlefield. This divine conversation results in the most divine gIthA sAsthram. While arjunan was bewildered seeing his own kith and kin in the opposing side of the battle field, he fully surrenders to emperumAn and requests him to guide him properly. krishNa starts speaking about the essential truths and right in the first slOkam he explains the most important principles of our sath sampradhAyam.

By separately identifying arjuna and all the kings, he establishes that there are many jIvAthmAs and they are all distinct.

By saying you and the kings existed before and will exist after - he establishes that the current body of every of AthmA is temporary and the soul is permanent. As the body perishes eventually is a well-known fact (we dont need sAsthram to understand this - prathyaksham is sufficient), the body cannot be identified as always existing. So, AthmA's permanent nature is established here.

By taking up the position of an AchArya, he demonstrates that he is superior and jIvAthmAs are subservient to him. He also demonstrates his supremacy subsequently by manifesting virAt rUpam, etc.

Simple translation (Closely following vAdhikEsari azhagiya maNavAL jIyar's 12000 padi word-to-word vyAkyAnam): AzhwAr's own view (in line with sAsthram - based on bhagavAn's blessing of divine blemishless knowledge to AzhwAr) is "bhagavAn exists". Others (avaidhikas) view is "bhagavAn does not exist". But in either case, to establish the existence or non-existence of bhagavAn, one must accept that there is a supreme entity (If some one needs to say "krishNa does not exist", only if an entity named krishNa can be explained, that entity's non-existence can be proved). So, bhagavAn exists everywhere (omnipresent) and by that virtue - bhagavAn can be explained as the manifested entity (one with form/attributes) and the unmanifested entity (one without any form/attributes). As he is the focus of everything, his nature with form or without form can only be explained based on that bhagavAn who exists everywhere.

piLLai lOkAchAryar explains the principle of antharyAmithvam (omni-presence of bhagavAn) in thathva thrayam - Isvara prakaraNam (section explaining bhagavAn's nature and glories). Here, in sUthrams 198 and 199, he highlights that bhagavAn's antharyAmithvam is of two types:

emperumAn being present within every entity in a state which cannot be perceived by our senses

emperumAn being present with a divine form in the hearts of yOgis - the form on which the yOgis can concentrate and perform their upAsanam (dhyAnam, etc).

In thirumanthram, "nama:" is explained as jIvAthmA accepting that "I dont belong to myself" (which means he belongs to bhagavAn).Translator's note: When the word "nama:" is split into two - we have two letters na and ma: - here ma: means "for me" and na negates that, i.e., "not for me". piLLai lOkAchAryar beautifully explains the "nama:" shabdham in mumukshuppadi. Let us see the highlights of the divine explanations with mAmunigaL's precise commentary.

sUthram 81 - piRarkku uriyanAna anRu than vailakshaNyaththaik kAtti mItkalAm. thanakkennumanRu yOgyathaiyum kUda azhiyum (பிறர்க்கு உரியனான அன்று தன் வைலக்ஷண்யத்தைக் காட்டி மீட்கலாம். தனக்கென்னுமன்று யோக்யதையும் கூட அழியும்). - A very important aspect is addressed here. Here in nama: emphasis is on "one being not a servitor of oneself" (there is no explicit mention about jIvAthmA being a servitor of some one other than bhagavAn). It is explained that, when jIvAthmA is serving some one other than bhagavAn, he can be explained about bhagavAn being the supreme Lord and master of all, supreme cause of all causes, etc and engage him in full service to bhagavAn. But if he is simply focussed on himself (pure selfishness) - then he will not even qualify to be engaged in bhagavAn's service. That is why the focus is on removing one's servitorship towards oneself.

A woman who is ready to be married will belong to only one man. She neither belong to others nor belong to herself. This is the true nature. jIvAthmA's position is also the same - he belong to bhagavAn only, no one else (including himself).

Translator's note: ukAram in praNavam indicates ananyArha sEshathvam (jIvAthmA being a servant of bhagavAn only). This principle is beautifully explained by piLLai lOkAchAryar in mumukshuppadi - thirumanthra prakaraNam while explaining "nama:" shabdham (nama: in thirumanthram is the expansion of ukAram in praNavam).

sUthram 91 - 'Iswaran thanakkEyAyirukkum; achiththup piRarkkEyAyirukkum; AthmA thanakkum piRarkkum pothuvAyirukkum' enRu muRpatta ninaivu; angananRikkE achiththaippOlE thanakkEyAga enaikkoLLa vENumengiRathu namassAl ('ஈஸ்வரன் தனக்கேயாயிருக்கும்; அசித்துப் பிறர்க்கேயாயிருக்கும்; ஆத்மா தனக்கும் பிறர்க்கும் பொதுவாயிருக்கும்' என்று முற்பட்ட நினைவு; அங்ஙனன்றிக்கே அசித்தைப்போலே தனக்கேயாக எனைக்கொள்ள வேணுமென்கிறது நமஸ்ஸால்) - When praNavam (akAram - Aya - ukAram - makAram) is superficially understood - one will think bhagavAn is supremely independent (he will always look out for his interests), matter (devoid of knowledge) always exists for bhagavAn and jIvAthmA (makAram) will look out for self interest (due to presence of knowledge) as well bhagavAn's desires (due to presence of servitorship). But once the real purport of "nama:" is understood, jIvAthmA will precisely understand that he should also be like matter only, i.e., look out for bhagavAn's desires only without even a tinge of self-interest.

sUthram 92 - athAvathu bhOga dhasaiyil Iswaran azhikkumpOthu nOkkavENumenRu azhiyAthozhigai (அதாவது போக தசையில் ஈஸ்வரன் அழிக்கும்போது நோக்கவேணுமென்று அழியாதொழிகை) - that means, when bhagavAn is accepting the jIvAthmA and wants to enjoy the jIvAthmA out of great affection, jIvAthmA should fully co-operate - even if bhagavAn wants to make the jIvAthmA superior for him and he makes himself lower than the jIvAthmA (just like a father may lift the child up and keep him on his head with great love), the jIvAthmA should not protest saying "you cannot do that because that does not fit my servitorship" - he should simply allow bhagavAn to do whatever he desires.

In thirumanthram, nArAyaNAya is split as nArAyaNa and Aya. nArAyaNa highlights svAmithvam (proprietorship over all jIvAthmAs and achEthanam), vAthsalyam (motherly forbearance over all jIvAthmAs and accepting their defects with joy), upAyathvam (being the means through which the ultimate goal can be attained), vyApakthvam (being omnipresent), etc. Aya (4th case in samskritham grammar) highlights the jIvAthmA's prayer for engaging him in the service of bhagavAn.

Translator's note: nArAyaNa shabhdham has 2 meanings:

that everything (chith and achith) rests on bhagavAn - AdhArathvam (being the abode of everything) - this explains his parathvam (supremacy) as this quality demonstrates that he is the single entity who effortlessly supports everything that exists. Thus him being the svAmi (propreitor) of everything is established.

that he is in everything (chith and achith) - antharyAmithvam (omnipresence) - this explains his saulabhyam (easy accessibility) - even after being the controller of everything, he mercifully stays put in each entity and guides the jIvAthmAs at every step. Thus, this demonstrates his vAthsalayam (motherly forbearance) too.

'Aya' highlights the jIvAthmA's prayer towards emperumAn to engage him in all kinds of services just like Adhi sEshan is serving bhagavAn at all possible times in all possible ways.

thirumangai AzhwAr presented the essence of vEdha angams (supplementary/parts) through his six dhivya prabhandhams. Other AzhwArs presented the essence upa angams (additional supplementary) through their dhivya prabhandhams. emperumAnAr compiled srIbhAshyam with the help of thiruvAimozhi to explain vEdhAntham precisely.

The essence of sAsthram is artha panchakam, i.e., to understand the nature of the five aspects - paramAthmA (God), jIvAthmA (Soul), upAyam (means), upEyam (goal) and virOdhi (hurdle) svarUpams. This artha panchakam is clearly explained in rahasya thrayam, i.e., thirumanthram, dhvayam and charama slOkam. dhivya prabhandhams in general and thiruvAimozhi specifically explains the artha panchakam in a detailed manner. thiruvAimozhi also discusses the divine auspicious qualities of bhagavAn in a great detail. This is why, our pUrvAchAryas spent their time fully engaged in discussing dhivya prabhandham and its meanings.

padi is a type of measurement - usually one padi means 32 aksharams (letters).

nampiLLai - thiruvallikkENi

Of these nampiLLai's eedu mahA vyAkyAnam is the most comprehensive and detailed vyAkyAnam for thiruvAimozhi. nampiLLai being an expert in both samskritham and thamizh literature, presents the views of our pUrvAchAryas in relation to sruthi, smruthi, ithihAsams/purANams, etc., in the most relishable and authoritative way.

maNavALa mAmunigaL learns the eedu mahA vyAkyAnam (and all other vyAkyAnams) through thiruvAimozhi piLLai and becomes fully attached to them. Though he was a great scholar in ubhaya vEdhAntham (samskritham and thamizh vEdhAntham) - he fully spent his energy in rejuvenating aruLicheyal and the various vyAkyAnams. He becomes such an expert in eedu mahA vyAkyAnam that he was famously known as "eettup perukkar" (the one who explains the divine meanings of eedu vyAkyAnam in the most detailed and precise manner). srI ranganAthan, wanting to hear the eedu vyAkyAnam through mAmunigaL, orders mAmunigaL to lecture the divine meanings of thiruvAimozhi with its vyAkyAnams for a whole year, right in front of his main sanctum in periya kOil (srI rangam). mAmunigaL accepts the orders of emperumAn and delivers his lectures with great enthusiasm. He lectures the eedu vyAkyAnam mainly and explains the principles in relation to sruthi, smruthi, ithihAsams/purANams, pAnchArAthram, other vyAkyAnams of thiruvAimozhi and other dhivya prabhandhams, etc. On the auspicious, Ani thirumUlam day, he performs sARRumuRai (completion) of his kAlakshEpam. periya perumAL himself appears as a small boy and submits "srIsailEsa dhayApAthram" thaniyan (a verse of glorification) to mAmunigaL and accepts him as his own AchArya. From then onwards, eedu kAlakshEpam has been carried out by our sath sampradhAya AchAryas regularly.

Thus, we have seen the glories of thiruvAimozhi, eedu mahA vyAkyAnam and mAmunigAL. emperumAn has great love for all 3 of them and thus he himself heard the thiruvAimozhi vyAkyAnam through mAmunigaL in periya kOil.

It is also common practice to explain thiruppallANdu and kaNNinuN chiru thAmbu vyAkyAnams before explaining thiruvAimozhi.

mAmunigaL highlights that "vEdhaththukku Om ennumathu pOl" - just like praNavam (OmkAra) is the essence of vEdham and is thus recited at the beginning of any vEdha pArAyaNam, thiruppallANdu highlights the identity of jIvAthmA and paramAthmA. So, thriuppallANdu is explained first to understand the sambandha gyAnam (knowledge about the relationship between jIvAthmA and paramAthmA).

mAmunigaL highlights that "vAyththa thirumanthiraththin madhdhimamAm patham pOl" - just like the "nama:" which explains the upAyam and is in the middle of thirumanthram, kaNNinuN chiru thAmbu explains the upAya gyAnam (knowledge about the means to reach emperumAn).

nArAyaNAya sabdham in thirumanthram explains the auspicious qualities of bhagavAn and kainkaryam. thiruvAimozhi is filled with narration of bhagavAn's auspicious qualities - every paththu (centum) is focussed on a particular quality of emperumAn, every padhigam (decade) is focussed on a particular quality of emperumAn and even every pAsuram is focussed on a particular quality of emperumAn. So, thiruvAimozhi explains the upEya gyAnam (knowledge about the ultimate goal - performing eternal kainkaryam after being overwhelmed with the auspicious qualities of bhagavAn).

Thus bhagavath vishaya kAlakshEpam means learning the meanings of thiruppallANdu, kaNNinuN chiru thAmbu and thiruvAimozhi with the help of the vyAkyAnams of our pUrvAchAryas.

gOmatam srI U. vE. sampathkumArAchAryar swamy comes in the thiruvamsam (family lineage) of mAmunigaL himself. He studied under various scholars of our sath sampradhAyam such as perumAL kOil srI U. vE. prathivAdhi bhayankaram aNNangarAchAryar swamy, vELukkudi srI U. vE.varadhAchAryar swamy, sathAbishEkam srI U. vE.gOvindha narasimhAchAryar swamy, etc. Right from a young age, gOmatam swamy learnt the various aspects of our sath sampradhAyam and devoted a lot of time teaching the same to others. He was appreciated greatly by the above said scholars for his shrewd nature in understanding the principles and presenting it to others.

By the divine will of rukmiNi samEtha vEnkatakrishNan emperumAn of thiruvallikkENi, in April 2010, with the initiative of palapUr srI U. vE. vIrarAgavAchAr swamy and acceptance of kOil kandhAdai srI U. vE. thirumaNi appan (dhAsarathy) swamy to host the kAlakshEpam in his thirumALigai, gOmatam swamy commenced the bhagavath vishaya kAlakshEpam in thiruvallikkENi. gOmatam swamy, personally took upon so much hardships to share this divine wealth of knowledge to others. Though he learnt these principles under various scholars, he spent many hours every day preparing for the lectures. Also, he travelled a fair distance and arrived on time (even before us) for the kAlakshEpam. He also emphasised the importance of understanding thirumanthram before going into thiruvAimozhi and explained piLLai lOkAchAryar's mumukshuppadi as grantha kAlakshEpam with mAmunigaL's vyAkyAnam for the same. Even the most difficult principles, he would explain them in a simple manner so that even some one new to the sampradhAyam can easily understand the same. One of the special qualities of him is to constantly highlight the explanations of scholars/AchAryas from whom he learnt these principles and also credit them for his learnings regularly.

gOmatam sampathkumArAchAr swamy with scholars

Last sunday (Sep 22nd), he performed sARRumuRai (completion) of bhagavath vishaya kAlakshEpam. It was a grand event where many scholars, AchArya purushas and adhyApakas participated. srI U. vE.V V Ramanujam swamy, srI U. vE.N S Krishna iyengar swamy, etc are some of the notable guests. gOmatam swamy explained the meanings of the last 2 pAsurams of thiruvAimozhi and completed his kAlakshEpam. Guests also gave small speeches aptly glorifying gOmatam swamy and his dedication. dhivya prabhandha sARRumuRai and srIpAdha thIrtham followed shortly after the kAlakshEpam.

gOmatam sampathkumArAchAr swamy with dhivya dhEsa prasAdhams

mAlai/parivattam (garland/vasthrams) prasAdham from various dhivyadhEsams had arrived and gOmatam swamy was honoured with those prasAdhams. prasAdhams from srI rangam, thiruvallikkENi, kAnchipuram, thirukkurungudi, thirumAlirunchOlai, srIvilliputhUr, nava thiruppathi, thirunAngur, srIperumbUthUr, etc., were offered to gOmatam swamy. Finally, vidhwath sambhAvanai was offered to gOmatam swamy which was followed by sumptuous prasAdham to every one attended.

We take this opportunity to bow down at the lotus feet of gOmatam swamy and show our gratitude to gOmatam swamy for dedicating his time and effort in performing this wonderful bhagavath vishaya kAlakshEpam over the past 3 years. We also thank thirumaNi appan (dhAsarathy) swamy for graciously accommodating this grantha kAlakshEpam in his thirumALigai.

Source: The first part of this article explaining the glories of bhagavath vishayam is based on articles by srI U. vE. TA krishNamAchAryar swamy and vELukkudi srI U. vE. varadhAchAryar swamy published in srIrangadhanam by srI U. vE. kOil AthAn ranganAthan swamy.

Note: srI U. vE.
gOpAlakrishNa dhAsar (kOnAr) who was living in chennai and a sishya of
kOil kandhAdai vAdhUla aNNan swamy compiled a set of beautiful
phrases/sentences from nampiLLai's eedu (documented by vadakku thiruvIdhi piLLai) vyAkyAnam long ago. kOil vidhwAn srI U. vE. R
narasimhAchAryar swamy (paramapadhavAsi) wrote simple thamizh meanings
for those phrases/sentences. This book (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0ByVemcKfGLucbWJNTUMzVS1KTzA/edit?usp=sharing) was originally released on 7-1-68 and
was re-published by puthur raghurAman swamy (editior: srI sailEsa
dhayApAthram magazine). In this series we are relishing this great compilation with the english translation for the same.

thirumazhisai AzhwAr who is parama sAthvikar (and thus most worshippable) established clearly that one should avoid dhEvathAntharams at all cost

Contact/association with thAmasic (ignorant) persons will be the cause for emperumAn to let such persons go astray. Contact/association with sAthvic (fully knowledgable - srIvaishNavas)persons will be the cause for emperumAn to accept such persons.Translator's note: emperumAn is guiding every jIvAthmA always. But when the jIvAthmA does not understand the true nature of the self and associates with ignorant persons that will be detrimental for the jIvAthmA. dhEvathAntharams are generally categorized as thAmasa purushas due to their bondage in samsAram and thinking of themselves as capable of giving benedictions to others. On the other hand, association with srIvaishNavas (who are pure) is most beneficial since that will lead towards bhagavAn.thirumazhisai AzhwAr identifies in nAnmugan thiruvanthAdhi 68th pAsuram that srIvaishNavas would never worship dhEvathAntharams - "thiruvadi than nAmam maRanthum puRam thozhA mAnthar" (திருவடி தன் நாமம் மறந்தும் புறம் தொழா மாந்தர்).thirumangai AzhwAr explains this principle beautifully in thirukkaNNapuram padhigam in periya thirumozhi - 8.10.3.maRRumOr dheyvam uLadhenRu iruppArOdu uRRilEn uRRadhum un adiyArkku adimaimaRRellam pEsilum nin thiruvettezhuththumkaRRu nAn kaNNapuraththuRai ammAnEமற்றுமோர் தெய்வம் உளதென்று இருப்பாரோடு உற்றிலேன் உற்றதும் உன் அடியார்க்கு அடிமைமற்றெல்லம் பேசிலும் நின் திருவெட்டெழுத்தும்கற்று நான் கண்ணபுரத்துறை அம்மானேOh, the lord of thirukkaNNapuram! I will not associate with any one who believes that there is another God than srIman nArAyaNan. After understanding the thirumanthram (ashtAkshari), I declare that I am servant of your servants.Here, we can observe that AzhwAr is saying "I will not associate with the devotees of dhEvathAntharams" - he is not just saying that "I will not associate with dhEvathAntharams". Similarly, he is saying "I will serve your servants" - he is not just saying "I will serve you".In srIvachana bhUshaNam, piLLai lOkAchAryar highlights the glories of srIvaishNavas very beautifully. In sUthram 221, he says that:vEdhagap pon pOlE ivargaL pakkal sambhandham.வேதகப் பொன் போலே இவர்கள் பக்கல் ஸம்பந்தம்.An alchemist carries a material which can convert iron into gold. Just like that, relationship with bhAgavathas will convert some one from an impure state to a very pure state and qualify them to receive the grace of bhagavAn.

mAmunigaL also explains the same principle in his upadhEsa rathina mAlai pAsurams 69 and 70. The gist of those pAsurams is:

pAsuram 69 - Just like when something comes in contact with an object which has nice fragrance will also develop such fragrance, when some one comes in contact with srIvaishNavas who are sAthvik in nature, they will also develop such good qualities.

pAsuram 70 - Just like when something comes in contact with an object which stinks will also develop a bad smell, when some one comes in contact with persons of undesirable qualities, they will also develop such undesirable qualities.

To fully enjoy the vision of srIman nArAyaNan seated in the blissful maNdapam (assembly) being served by nithyasUris is the goal to be achieved.

Translator's note: As said in vishNu sUktham "sadhA pasyanthi" (ஸதா பச்யந்தி) is the ultimate goal. bhagavAn's divine form is so beautiful that the nithyasUris/mukthas cannot take their eyes off him even for a single moment. In paramapadham, everyone is engaged in enjoying the divine form, auspicious qualities, etc., of emperumAn and serving him with full affection.

After understanding the true nature of jIvAthmA, he cannot do what is contrary to the true nature. Translator's note: svarUpam - true nature. Understanding the true nature of jIvAthmA means understanding him as athyantha parathanthran (totally dependent entity) of bhagavAn and also that the jIvAthmA is the in-dwelling soul that is different from body. svarUpa virOdhi means that which are contradictory to the nature of jIvAthmA and that which are hurdles in jIvAthmA realizing the true nature and practising the same. Here one needs to eliminate the following virOdhis:

dhEhAthma abhimAnam - considering that the AthmA and the body are one and the same and leading a life that is focussed on the body. This needs to be elimiated - understading that the jIvAthmA is the soul that is eternal/permanent and the body is temporary, this can be overcome.

anya sEshathvam - considering oneself as subervient to other dhEvathas - jIvAthmA is owned by bhagavAn only. He is thus not to have any servitude towards any other dhEvathas. By understanding the true nature of bhagavAn as the owner of all entities, this can be overcome.

sva svAthanthriyam - considering jIvAthmA as svathanthran (independent). Even after giving up anya sEshathvam, one may still consider he is the master of himself. But understanding that bhagavAn is controller of everything, this can be overcome.

The above principles are explained in detail in http://ponnadi.blogspot.in/p/kilaroli-ilamai.html.pEyAzhwAr highlights the importance for developing the taste for bhagavath vishayam and the result of the same in mUnRAm thiruvanthAdhi pAsuram 14.mARpAl manam chuzhippa mangaiyar thOL kai vittunURpAl manam vaikka noyvidhAm nARpAla vEdhaththAn vEngadaththAnviNNOr mudi thOyum pAdhaththAn pAdham paNindhuமாற்பால் மனம் சுழிப்ப மங்கையர் தோள் கை விட்டுநூற்பால் மனம் வைக்க நொய்விதாம் நாற்பால வேதத்தான் வேங்கடத்தான்விண்ணோர் முடி தோயும் பாதத்தான் பாதம் பணிந்துthiruvEnkatamudaiyAn who is residing in thiruvEnkatam is the object of the four vEdhas and the one whose lotus feet are touched by the crowns in the heads of nithyasUris. When one surrenders to his lotus feet and focusses his mind on thiruvEnktamudaiyAn, that will lead to him giving up attachment to wordly pleasures (the embracing of women, etc) and facilitate engaging oneself in studying the scriptures easily.

It is sufficient to have a good AchAryan who constantly instructs to the sishyas that only srIman nArAyaNan is the total refuge and no one else qualifies to be approached.Translator's note: AchAryan is the one who studies sAsthram, follows it himself and guide others towards the same. A true AchAryan means he is a devoted servitor of vishNu and vaishNavas and is simply focussed on upliftment of jIvAthmAs to lead them to perform eternal kainkaryam to bhagavAn. If a person comes into contact with such AchAryan and receives the most valuable instruction that "srIman nArAyaNan is the master and refuge for everyone" and the person simply accepts that and follows the principles as taught by such AchArya, that itself will uplift that jIvAthmA. The principle of srIman nArAyaNan being both upAyam (means) and upEyam (goal) is precisely explained in dhvaya mahA manthram and that is why our pUrvAchAryas held this manthram with great esteem.

AzhwArs, due to their great attachment towards kainkaryam which is truly fitting for the nature of the jIvAthmA, always highlight the importance of rendering pure service to emperumAn.Translator's note: AzhwArs were fully focussed on rendering blemishless kainkaryam and often prayed to emperumAn to fully engage them in such blemishless kainkaryam. A question may arise "What defects could creep upon our kainkaryam (service)?". This is explained in mumukshuppadi by piLLai lOkAchAryar towards the end of dhvaya prakaraNam (section) while explaining "nama:" shabdham in the second part of dhvaya mahA manthram. This is most relishable explanation by piLLai lOkAchAryar which can be understood fully/properly with the help of mAmunigaL's divine commentary. Let us see that now.

sUthram 178 - "nama: kainkaryaththil kaLai aRukkiRathu" (நம: கைங்கர்யத்தில் களை அறுக்கிறது) - nama: removes the weeds (unwanted elements) in our kainkaryam. Here, mAmunigaL highlights that nama: is usually explained in removing ahankAram and mamakAram, in this context since kainkaryam to srIman nArAyaNan is explained in the second part of dhvaya mahA manthram, this "nama:" removes the aspects that are detrimental to such service.

sUthram 179 - "kaLaiyAvathu - thanakkennap paNNumathu" (களையாவது - தனக்கென்னப் பண்ணுமது) - The weed/defect here is to perform kainkaryam for ones own satisfaction. Any kainkaryam is focussed on bringing happiness to bhagavAn. Even if there is a tinge of self-enjoyment that could lead to defects.

Ones who understand that "samsAram is to be given up and emperumAn is the goal" and surrender to emperumAn will also understand that to be cured of this disease called samsAram, they will consider bhagavAn himself as the medicine and will ultimately be situated to accomplish the ultimate goal of reaching bhagavAn in parampadham.Translator's note: This principle is beautifully explained by periyAzhwAr in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 5.3.6.eruththuk kodiyudaiyAnum biramanum indhiranummaRRum oruththarum ippiRavi ennum nOykku marunthaRivArumillai

Oh my dear father who is residing in thirumAlirunchOlai (azhagar emperumAn)! rudhran who has the bull in his flag, bramhA (who is most knowledgable - yet does not understand bhagavAn fully), indhiran who is the king of the svargam and no one else can cure us of this disease called samsAram. So, you being the AchArya (spiritual doctor) please cure me of this disease and engage me in your kainkaryam.periyavAchAn piLLai beautifully explains this pAsuram - let us see some of the highlights here.

samsAram itself is considered as a disease. Four maladies are usually identified with samsAram - janma (birth), mruthyu (death), jarA (old-age), vyAdhi (disease). Birth is the root cause of the other maladies - so if we are able to stop our birth in this samsAram, that itself will relieve us.

bull is considered to be the best example for ignorance. Since rudhran has the bull in his flag, he is considered as a thAmasa dhEvathai.

brahmA is most knowledgable yet he does not understand bhagavAn fully - so he too cannot cure the disease of samsAram.

All these dhEvathAs are considered as samsAra varththakar - the ones who increase our bondage in samsAram. To establish that fact, when krishNa went to kailAsam to pray to rudhran (as part of a boon which rudhran requested from emperumAn - that emperumAn asks for something from rudhran), he demonstrates that bhagavAn is the only one who can bestow mOksham by blessing gaNtA karNan (and his brother).

bhagavAn is glorified as the medicine, the doctor and the enjoyable nectar by AzhwArs in other places - this quality of him being all at the same time cannot be seen in any other entity.

Finally, it is identified that having a glorious life in his temple is the ultimate goal - as periyAzhwAr himself identifies in periyAzhwAr thirumozhi 5.1.3 "un kOyilil vAzhum vaittaNavan ennum vanmai kaNdAyE" (உன் கோயிலில் வாழும் வைட்டணவன்என்னும் வன்மை கண்டாயே) - the ultimate goal is to be a vaishNava who lives in your temple fully serving you. vAzhchhi means upliftment - which is at the lotus feet of emperumAn only.

bottom section is in leelA vibhUthi (various dhEvathAs leading the mumukshu), above that virajA river, then paramapadham

As sarvEsvaran (supreme lord) is the achievable goal, archirAdhi mArgam (the path that leads to him) and paramapadham (where he lives with his divine consorts and many other nithyasUris and mukthAthmAs) are also part of the achievable goal.Translator's guide: prApyam means purushArththam - that which is desired/achieved by a person. In kaNNinuN chiruthAmbu vyAkyAna avathArikai identifies the three levels of purushArththams.

madhyamam - middle - based on chith (self) - kaivalyam (enjoying oneself) - even though one is freed from samsAram in this state, this is permanent and blissful - yet in comparison to enjoying bhagavAn's divine and auspicious qualities, this is insignificant too.

uththamam - top most - based on Ishwara (bhagavAn) - kainkaryam to bhagavAn is considered as the top most goal since bhagavAn is filled with auspicious qualities and any service to him out of loving affection is blissful and natural for the jIvAthmA.

Thus bhagavAn is considered as the top most enjoyable goal.When a mumukshu (jIvAthmA who desires for mOksham) gives up his body in this samsAram, Athi vAhikas (dhEvathas who are controllers for various lOkas) lead the jIvAthmA upto virajA river which runs between samsAram and paramapadham through archirAdhi gathi (path). archirAdhi means "starting with archis" - this includes the lOkas of the controlling dhEvathas of archis, ahas, sukla paksha, uththarAyaNa, samvathsara, vAyu, sUrya, chandhra, vidhyuth, varuNa, indhra and brahma lOkams.The jIvAthmA travels through the many lOkams, crosses the mUla prakruthi (primordial matter) and finally lands at the banks of virajA river. After crossing the river, he gets a divine spiritual body and he reaches bhagavAn in paramapadham and engages in eternal service to him. It is explained that the journey through the archirAdhi gathi itself is most relishable as explained in chAndhOgya, vAjanEya and kaushIdhakI upanishadhs. This is also explained beautifully by nammAzhwAr in his "chUzh visumbaNimugil" (சூழ் விசும்பணிமுகில்) padhigam in thiruvAimozhi (10.9). piLLai lOkAchAryar has also written a beautiful rahasya grantham named "archirAdhi" which explains the journey of jIvAthmA from samsAram to paramapadham.emperumAnAr beautifully narrates the brilliant and wonderful aspects of paramapadham in a detailed manner in srI vaikunta gadhyam. He explains that the environment in paramapadham is most serene and blissful and most condusive for the jIvAthmA to serve bhagavAn in the purest possible way since everything is spiritual there. piLLai lOkAchAryar also gives a very beautiful narration of paramapadham in his "archirAdhi". From the above, we can understand that as kainkaryam to emperumAn is the top most goal to be achieved, paramapadham where we perform eternal kainkaryam and the path that takes us to paramapadham are also part of that achievable goal.

Explanation for the above picture:

In the bottom section,

first box shows the jIvAthmA coming into contact with an AchAryan and bhAgavathas

second box shows the jIvAthmA giving the body

from then on each box represents each lOkam/dhEvathA - archis, ahas, etc. jIvAthmA travels in praNava (OmkAra) ratham (chariot).

last box shows the mUla prakruthi (saptha AvaraNam)

going up, next is the virajA river with swans - jIvAthmA takes a dip in that and then acquires a spiritual body

After crossing the river - amAnavan touches the jIvAthmA and allows him inside paramapadham.

jIvAthmA is then welcomed by the nithyasUris and is decorated by apsaras (divine servitors of emperumAn assuming the form of beautiful ladies).

Then after, the jIvAthmA travels up to the main entrance accompanied by nithya sUris who celebrate the arrival of jIvAthmA.

Finally, he enters the main entrance and goes around the maNimAmaNdapam (where emperumAn is seated with dhivya mahishis) and enters the maNdapam and emperumAn accepts him. (not in this picture - but jIvAthmA climbing the AdhisEshan is seen in the paramapadhanAthan picture seen at the top - 142nd entry).

The results of upAsanam that is explained in vEdhAntham are part of the ultimate goal (kainkaryam). The ideal result that fits the true nature of jIvAthmA is kainkaryam. That which helps achieve the goal is the cause/means. Thus, the ultimate place to reach is parampadham only. The one who brings us there is also bhagavAn himself.Translator's note: Whatever that comes as a result of ones actions/practice towards the goal, those also become part of the goal. Please see previous entry for more detailed explanation.

A srIvaishNava means one who shares the happiness and sorrows of another srIvaishNava who is filled with gyAnam, bhakthi and vairAgyam. A srIvaishNava would also consider such joys and sorrows as if they happened to himself.Translator's note: anukUlar means one who is favourable towards emperumAn generally. The epitome of srIvaishNavam is to share the joy and sorrow of other srIvaishNavas.In several pAsurams, AzhwArs highlight two charithrams more often than others. bhagavAn helping gajEndhrAzhwAn and accepting his service and bhagavAn helping prahlAdhaAzhwAn. Our pUrvAchAryas highlight that, AzhwArs consider when bhagavAn helps gajEndhrAzhwAn, prahlAdhAzhwAn, etc., he is helping AzhwArs themselves - they feel so much joy when bhagavAn helps his devotees.

Even after uplifting all the 3 worlds, that which is to be uplifted/protected by emperumAn will look small and emperumAn's desire to uplift jIvAthmAs will look much larger.Translator's note: jIvAthmA's svarUpam (true nature) is to seek protection from bhagavAn (seeking protection by performing sharaNAgathi is not an upAyam (means) - some may consider it as such). bhagavAn's svarUpam is to protect jIvAthmA (it is not aupAdhikam - based on some action of the jIvAthmA). In srI rAmAyaNam, sIthA pirAtti highlights "Anrusamsyam parO dharma:" (ஆந்ருசம்ஸ்யம் பரோ தர்ம: - compassion towards others is the most important quality of you). Also, srI rAma forgives kAkAsura out of his great compassion even after kAkAsura committing the most abominable offense as highlighted in "krupayA paryapAlayath" (க்ருபயா பர்யபாலயத் - protected by the mercy). These principles are reflected by ANdAL nAchiyAr in thiruppAvai 8th pAsuram. She says in the end of that pAsuram "dhEvAdhi dhEvanai chenRu nAm chEviththAl A A enRu Araynthu aruLElOr empAvAy" (தேவாதி தேவனை சென்று நாம் சேவித்தால் ஆ ஆ என்று ஆராய்ந்து அருளேலோர் எம்பாவாய்) - When we go and worship emperumAn, due to his natural tendency to protect his devotees, with great desire and enthusiasm, he will bless us. periyavAchAn piLLai, azhagiya maNavALa perumAL nAyanAr and Ay jananyAchAryar - the 3 commentators for thiruppAvai vyAkyAnam adequately quote from srI rAmAyaNa slOkams that are shown previously to explain the same principle.thirumangai AzhwAr highlights the same principle in thirunIrmalai padhigam in 2.4.6 pAsuram.

During mahA praLayam, bhagavAn inhales the entire manifested universe into him and keeps them safely during such catastrophy. Here thirumangai AzhwAr says "Even after consuming (to protect them) the bhUlOkam, the mountains, the oceans, the sun, etc - he is not satisfied and is looking for more entities to show his compassion and protect them. Such emperumAn descended into this world as parasurAma (svarUpa AvEsha avathAram - where emperumAn manifests himself into a jIvAthmA) and killed kArthavIryArjuna (who himself is a shakthi AvEsha avathAram - where emperumAn manifests his power on a jIvAthmA) and many other kings who were filled with pride. Such emperumAn who has no match for himself manifests in this thirunIrmalai dhivya dhEsam as nIrvaNNar".

Engage your children in playing a divine card game which will help them memorize details about each dhivyadhEsam and the AzhwArs and at the same time immerse themselves in the thought of srIman nArAyaNan and his divine abodes. Can be a great gift as well.
Contact Sampath swamy at 9790923211 or sampath.thothathri@gmail.com for further details.